Wolverhampton Wanderers return to action just three days after their Premier League victory over Sheffield United, as they face Brighton and Hove Albion in the FA Cup this evening.

The Old Gold are going along nicely in the top flight, but the chance to reach the quarter-finals of this competition for just the third time this century could give Gary O’Neil the chance to tinker slightly with his starting XI.

Wolves team news vs Brighton

Despite playing five times in February, the only player who will miss the clash against the Seagulls tonight is Matheus Cunha, with the Brazilian striker ruled out until after the international break at the end of next month.

This means O’Neil has practically a full squad to choose from, and he admitted to the media that he wants his side to “be as strong as we can be for the game” as they aim for a last-eight berth.

Could he perhaps spring a surprise or two in his starting XI? Especially with Premier League fixtures coming thick and fast over the next few weeks.

While some of the team is pretty much nailed on, Hugo Bueno could potentially be set to come in and replace Rayan Ait-Nouri on the left of the midfield for the Molineux side.

Hugo Bueno’s statistics at Wolves

Ait-Nouri has performed impressively throughout the campaign, ranking in the top ten in the squad for accurate passes per game and in the top five for key passes per game in the top flight, demonstrating his importance to the team.

He has started the previous four matches and this could tempt the manager into giving him a rest for the cup clash, suggesting Bueno may be given a start.

Indeed, it would be his first start of 2024 in all competitions, but there is no doubt he would be able to cope with the demands.

The 21-year-old was previously hailed as a “promising talent” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig in 2022 after he signed a four-year deal with the club.

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The 5 foot 11 gem showed flashes of his ability last season, ranking seventh among his teammates in the Premier League for key passes per game, while also ranking ninth for tackles per game as he played 23 games in all competitions during his breakthrough campaign.

This season, however, Bueno has managed to play just 15 games due to injury issues. When the left-back has featured in the league, however, he has created a big chance, won 2.5 total duels per game, been dribbled past just 0.4 times, and recovered 2.2 balls per game – solid numbers for a player averaging just 33 minutes each game.

Due to the financial rewards that come with it, securing as high a finish as possible in the Premier League is clearly O’Neil’s main priority, which means some rotation may be done ahead of tonight’s game.

This could see Bueno brought back into the starting XI for the first time since the 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest in early December.

If he can deliver a positive performance, it could give O’Neil something to think about ahead of the weekend.